Do it Best breaks ground in Missouri

Officials from Do it Best Corp. put shovels to dirt Thursday morning as they officially broke ground in Sikeston, Mo., at the site of what will be the co-op’s newest and most technologically advanced Retail Service Center (RSC).

Do it Best Corp. president and CEO Bob Taylor joined local and regional civic and economic development leaders at the groundbreaking event at the 103-acre site in the Sikeston Business, Education and Technology Park on Rose Parkway. The new facility will replace the co-op’s original facility in nearby Cape Girardeau. Once complete, the new RSC will feature 550,000 sq. ft. (16 million cubic feet) of warehousing space.

“This is an exciting day for us, to be able to get the construction of this new facility under way,” Taylor said. “Not only will it help us continue to meet our members’ current needs, but it will strategically and competitively position us for future growth. And, as we continue to expand the programs and services we offer our member-owners, this new facility will lead the way in helping deliver them to our members as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.”

Do it Best Corp. officials expect the new Sikeston RSC to be complete and operational by 2014. It will serve Do it Best Corp. member-owners in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee. The new RSC will replace the Cape Girardeau RSC, which was built in 1971 and was the first of the co-op’s facilities located outside of Indiana.

The co-op operates a total of eight distribution centers nationwide.

In addition to increased size, the new RSC will feature a number of new technological advances and initiatives, including a new voice-pick system, which has virtually eliminated order filling errors and will help maximize workflow.